CD review CYHRA ‘No Halos in Hell’

Cyhra is the brainchild of singer Jake E and former In Flames guitarist Jesper Stromblad. The guys premiered in 2017 with ‘Letters to Myself’ and now return with the sophomore album ‘No Halos in Hell’.

The new album is a very catchy one with songs being placed somewhere between Modern Metal and Melodic Metal. It reminds in parts of an (even more) melodic version of In Flames, mainly based on Stromblad’s typical guitar pay and riffing (‘No Halo in Hell’).

The creative process behind ‘No Halos in Hell’ took a slightly different road than the one for the debut. With the addition of Euge Valovitra as a full-integrated band member songwriting was a wider shared responsibility of musicians that are all on an equal footing.

In general the album is entertaining and it’s the sugarcoated sweetness of each of the songs that attracts. However, things are overdone in a sense that it’s sometimes too sweet. Some edges is what’s missing with songs like ‘I am the One’ being a pop-like Rock song more than a Metal track. The commercial approach of the album manifests itself best with the ballad called ‘Lost in Time’. Written in collaboration with keyboarder Mark Mangold (Michael Bolton, Cher) aims for greatness but is more like taken off the shelf.

Fans of Melodic Metal with a modern touch might enjoy listening to ‘No Halos in Hell’. However, some extra surprises and less of a streamlined approach would help to stick out from the mass of releases.